.jpg){kind=logo}
President Vladimir Putin has allowed Russian companies to run workloads in data centers outside Russia, subject to approval by the FSB. The decree, signed on Nov. 2, also requires non-state Russian data center operators to reserve 10 percent of their space and 
Logo: Yandex sign and red corporate lettering mounted against a dark glass office exterior backdrop.capacity for government use.
The decree, numbered 802, was published on Russia's official portal of legal information. The reserve requirement covers operators that are not state bodies, state or municipal enterprises, or state institutions, Interfax reports. Operators have 10 days from Nov. 2 to set the capacity aside, and they can keep using it for commercial customers. A government subcommission on the uninterrupted operation of IT and communications facilities can require access within 24 hours, at a price no higher than a cap the subcommission sets. The Ministry of Digital Development must audit free space and capacity at private sites and set mandatory reliability requirements for the owners of online services.
Temporary use of computing capacity outside Russia is allowed on a decision by the same subcommission, agreed with the Federal Security Service. The preamble describes both measures as a response to "unfriendly actions" by some foreign states. Data Center Dynamics notes that the change eases a rule that had barred Russian companies from doing business outside the country.
The decree follows Ukrainian drone strikes in October on Russian data centers. Interfax reports that three data centers run by Yandex were hit and two were shut down, and that drones also struck sites operated by VK and Sberbank without disrupting their services. Data Center Dynamics reports that the Yandex facilities hit were Sasovo, where a fire broke out, Kaluga and Vladimir. Yandex said on Oct. 26 that it had moved its three supercomputers, Lyapunov, Galushkin and Chervonenkis, to new computing sites and that they were not damaged. "They have been moved out of the locations where they previously were and are now being deployed at new computing sites," the company said, according to Silicon UK.
Ars Technica reports that Rostelecom has discussed building some Russian data centers underground with nickel miner Norilsk Nickel. RTK-TsOD, Rostelecom's data center subsidiary, has started an audit of its own space and capacity. "We have started an urgent audit of our space and capacity. Based on the results, we will provide current data to the Ministry of Digital Development," said Dmitry Panyshev, director for government relations at RTK-TsOD, in comments carried by Interfax.
Baxtel tracks 58 data centers in Russia, operated by 18 providers, with IXcellerate's Moscow South Campus (MOS5) the largest at 64 MW.
Related on Baxtel
